KNOW YOUR FARMER
Butternut Sustainable Farm is located outside Sturgis, Michigan near Glen Oaks Community College. The farm was started by Jon Templin in 2012 on ground which his ancestors farmed for four generations. Butternut Farm's mantra is - "Growing food the responsible way." Jon is making sure his ground will continue to be healthy for more generations to come.
Jon Templin found his passion for farming while enrolled in Goshen College as he participated in the Agro-ecology program at the school. He spent a summer at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center's, Rieth Village near Wolf Lake, Indiana. Rieth Village, an educational center, is filled with a diverse mixture of fieldwork and coursework and because of this experience Jon became passionate about sustainable, environmentally responsible farming. This passion lead Jon to start his own farm using organic methods to grow a variety of vegetables.
The first year of farming (2012) Jon tried all aspects of distribution for his products. There were numerous farm markets, deliveries to grocery stores, he delivered to restaurants and he offered CSA's. Soon he found himself stretched thin, unable to service every distribution outlet efficiently.
During this time Jon found another passion in his life - a love and respect for professionally prepared, seasonal food. This passion led him to make the decision to focus on selling his products to restaurants in Kalamazoo, Elkhart, South Bend and Chicago. Jon has gained the trust and respect of world renowned chefs throughout his delivery areas. These relationships led to a unique collaboration between Butternut Farm and Row 7 Seed Company, who's mission is to re-imagine food from the ground up. In 2019 we were one of only seven farms in the Midwest to have this distinction.
HOW We Grow
Butternut Sustainable Farm works hard to create a sustainable food system that does not require chemicals, conserves energy and water, emphasizes local production, and utilizes resources more efficiently. Sustainable agriculture produces safe food with high nutritional value. The quality of food is now more important than ever before.
Butternut Sustainable Farm purchases seed exclusively from Row 7 Seed Company, Johnny's Selected Seeds and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. When adding nutrients to our soil we only apply the mediums which are sustainably acceptable. Pest management practices follow the same philosophy. We value the relationship we have with our chef\customers so we don't settle for less. Using sustainable methods allows us to protect our resources while never compromising our quality.
WHAT we grow
Our product list, which is sent weekly to restaurant chefs, has over 300 items depending on the time of year. Our claim to fame is definitely our beautiful heirloom tomatoes but our salad mix is pretty popular too. We grow winter and summer squash, radishes, beans, peas, kale, cucumbers, peppers (sweet, hot and in-between), kohlrabi, mustard greens, several varieties of turnips....just to name a few things. We specialize in edible flowers and offer a wide variety of herbs.
Everything we grow is grown using organic, sustainable methods. We take pride in the quality and cleanliness of the produce we deliver to our professional chefs. Our products are highly valued by chefs. As a customer of Butternut Sustainable Farm you should expect and only receive the very best.
